108 FOREST REGULATION 



E. ROTATION. 



In Central Europe timber is cut at an age varying from twelve 

 years in Coppice to 200 years in Oak for timber. Where regular 

 timber (saw timber, etc.) is raised in Germany it is generally cut 

 at the age of : 



Pine and Spruce 80-100 years, (60-80 years in private forests). 

 Balsam over TOO years. 



Beech 100-120 years. 



Oak 150-200 years. 



Rotation has been shortened during the past 100 years es- 

 pecially in Conifers. Reason for this lies chiefly in market and in 

 the introduction of rational methods of forest valuation. German 

 market for saw timber today prefers timber io"-i5" d. b. h. to 

 larger or smaller, and the best sizes are u"-i3", requiring about 

 70-90 years in dense forest. 



The matter of Rotation is of great importance in Germany 

 today in spite of the old settled conditions of forest and market. It 

 forms one of the important topics in forestry literature, and the 

 Bavarian government has recently established a special commission 

 to ascertain proper Rotation for different forests species and sites. 



In the United States this matter is rapidly coming to the fore- 

 ground. The preliminary regulation for National forests requires 

 establishment of Rotation. Recent studies of White Pine, Loblolly, 

 etc., attempt to work out the age when it is most profitable to cut 

 the crops of timber to be established.* 



The Kinds of Rotation usually distinguished are : 



a. Technical Rotation. 



\Vhich allows the timber to grow to a certain size, needed for 

 a particular use, such as pulp wood, fence posts, railway ties, tele- 

 phone poles and piling, saw timber, etc. This condition of size 

 dominates our present market and through this the utilization of 

 timber. 



* See Bull, u (new series) 1914, U. S. Dept. Agri. 

 Sterrett : "Forest Management of Loblolly Pine." 



